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Ontario

Premier accuses them of bullying employees

The premier of Ontario is accusing the children of Tim Hortons’ billionaire co-founders of bullying their employees by reducing their benefits in response to the province’s increased minimum wage.

In a letter to workers at two Tim Hortons restaurants in Cobourg, Ont., Ron Joyce Jr. and Jeri Horton-Joyce said that as of Jan. 1, staff would no longer be entitled to paid breaks, and would have to pay a portion of the costs for dental and health benefits to offset the $2.40 jump in the hourly minimum wage.

Premier Kathleen Wynne says if Joyce Jr. wants to challenge the Ontario government policy, he should come directly to her and not take it out on his workers.

While the changes announced in the letter — dated December 2017 — are not a violation of Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, Wynne says she wants Joyce Jr. to reverse his decision.

The cutback in benefits and wages at the two locations, which came into effect Jan. 1, follow the rise in Ontario’s minimum wage from $11.60 an hour to $14 this week.

A Tim Hortons spokesperson has declined to comment on the letter, but said franchisees are responsible for handling all employment matters at their restaurants while complying with all applicable laws and regulations.